The holiday seasons bring images of family homecomings, decking the halls, and the preparation of special meals. Although it may not be at the forefront of the minds of holiday revelers, this is also the season to think “safety.” Historically a heightened focus on safety comes as a reaction to some tragic event. In an effort to get ahead of this, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic is implementing a preemptive safety stand down plan targeting times of increased mishaps. 

In a recent notification to the leadership of Facilities Engineering Commands (FEC) in the NAVFAC Atlantic Area of Responsibility, Capt. Dean VanderLey, Vice Commander of NAVFAC Atlantic, outlined the parameters of the FY19 Holiday Safety Stand-Down. Each NAVFAC Atlantic and FEC employee is expected to participate in this training at some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

“The holidays may be a very special time of the year, but they are also a time when it’s easy to be distracted from normal safety precautions” asserted VanderLey. “Our goal for this training is to remind our work-force of the importance of staying safe.”  

About 75 percent of all accidents are attributable to four factors: a lack of attention to detail, a failure to follow safety requirements, errors in perception, and a lapse in attention or a distraction. NAVFAC Atlantic conducts semi-annual safety training targeted at times of increased incidents while providing suggestions for safe conduct.   

The training materials for this stand-down cover a wide range of topics, including suggestions for safe winter driving, recommendations for safely decorating the home, dinner preparation tips, and guidelines for safe participation in outdoor activities such as skiing, snowboarding and hunting. Training also seeks to heighten awareness of depression that impacts some during the holiday season.

Safety is a year-round priority at NAVFAC Atlantic. The Holiday Safety Stand-down will be followed by a Critical Days of Summer Safety Stand-down to be held in late spring of 2019.

“Our most precious asset is our people,” asserted VanderLey. “We want everyone to have a joyous holiday season, but more importantly, we want everyone to return to work safe and without injury.”   

Naval Facilities Engineering Command: The Facilities and Expeditionary Combat Systems Command.

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